A Little Fun
by Princess Claire Fey
Summary: Azula has a two-day layover on Deep Space Nine, and she hasn't the slightest clue what to do with her time. Thankfully, a certain Starfleet Lieutenant would be happy to spend it with her. Azula just has to find her first.


It felt good to be alone. Not just alone, alone with nothing to do. In Azula's life, moments like these were rare - usually there was always more to do. More demands placed on her by father. But seeing as she had finished all her business on Bajor two days early, she had little to do but wait until the shuttle came to pick her up. No stress of the next mission, no need to go above and beyond. For the moment, Azula was free.

And freedom was terrifying. She had enjoyed it, initially. Sitting in her room aboard Deep Space Nine, sampling the foreign foods from the replicator. But then she became _bored._

Boredom was foreign to Azula. She wasn't used to having nothing to do for any longer than a couple of hours.

It had been almost a day and the feeling was _agonizing_. She wanted to sleep but she wasn't tired.

Azula sat up from the bed for the hundredth time. "Computer. What do people _do_ around here?"

_Deep Space Nine is a Bajoran-owned, Federation-controlled space station that functions as a waypoint between the Alpha Quadrant and the Gamma Quadrant. Functions include: diplomacy, trade, commerce, spiritual education..._

Azula fell back onto the bed as the computer answered her overly broad question with an overly broad answer. She regretted not just asking what she really wanted to ask, to have said the forbidden word. What do people do around here for _fun_?

_...Deep Space Nine is also known for its promenade, which is host to a diverse set of establishments run by federation and non-federation owners. Notable establishments include..._

She was already out the door by the time the computer was even halfway through its list.

Out on the promenade Azula felt like a fish out of water. Everyone there seemed to know where they were going and what they wanted to do. Azula didn't even know what she was looking for beyond the broad parameters of something interesting enough to occupy her mind. Many vendors were out selling native foods, presumably ones that the replicator couldn't make to their satisfaction. Live Gagh and something that Azula had never seen before called 'Jumja sticks' stuck out in particular. There was also a tailor run by a cardassian (very odd, considering the station was Bajoran).

Azula thought back to when she was younger, when she'd shop for clothes with her friend Ty Lee. She missed that.

"Ah, you must be the young ambassador from the Fire Nation." Greeted the shrewd cardassian from behind the counter. "We were beginning to wonder if you were ever going to make an appearance."

"It's _Princess._" Azula said sharply. "And who's we?" she asked.

Garak bowed his head in a way that Azula couldn't tell was mocking or not. "Apologies, Your Highness. Forgive me, we don't get many royal visitors here on Deep Space Nine." he said, walking over to a rack of what appeared to be quite a diverse set of women's garments. "And by we, I mean everyone on the station, of course. Though there may be a certain Bajorn Major who's particularly interested in thanking you for your generous sale of land reclamation units, the rest of us are just _filled_ with curiosity about you, Princess. Why you're the first visitor from your planet we've seen." he said, gesturing for Azula to come over. "Please."

Azula raised an eyebrow before accepting Garak's invitation, ignoring the comment about her dealings on Bajor. "Does this station always gossip about new alien arrivals?" she asked suspiciously.

"Not usually, but the ability to create fire from your fingertips does tend to raise a few eyebrows." he said, pulling a dress off the rack and holding it up to Azula, before shaking his head and putting it back.

She smiled as the cardassian held another outfit up to her, this time black and gold. "So it's my fire you're interested in?"

Garak shook his head. "Oh no, Princess. I'm just a simple tailor hoping to provide you with an outfit for the evening."

"A simple tailor who happens to know about negotiations that won't be revealed until next week." Azula said, deadpan.

"Just something I overheard while hemming someone's trousers." Garak said with a smile. "This one I think would look nice on you." he said, holding up another dress to the Princess, this time black and red. "I figured you're a woman who appreciates your nation's colors. An appreciation that, as a cardassian, I share."

Azula smiled again before entering the changing booth, figuring that the likelihood of finding out the man's exact interest in her or her dealings with Bajor was about zero, but enjoying the wordplay nonetheless. "So, you fancy yourself a countryman." she said, more of a statement than a question.

Garak sized Azula up as she exited the booth, noting in his head where the proportions were off. "I suppose you're wondering why someone like me is so far from home, selling dresses to beautiful women?" he asked.

Azula watched as Garak grabbed some kind of tool from a cubbord. "It may have crossed my mind."

"Very well." said Garak, waving the tool carefully around her waist, causing the threads in the dress to constrict themselves to match Azula. "I might be able to answer that question, if you answer an enigma of my own."

"And that is?"

"Why is an empire known for bloodthirsty aggression and ruthless destruction, second only to the Klingons, selling Bajor land reclaimators for what I'm told is well below market price?"

"Hmm." Azula considered, beginning to wonder if this cardassian was simply a spy, keeping an eye on their former territory and the newly-discovered wormhole. "I don't think you need to know that, tailor." she said bluntly. "Perhaps I can ask you another question with a lower pricetag?"

Garak let out a small laugh. "And what did you have in mind?"

"You seem to be rather knowledgeable about this place. Tell me, what would a Fire Nation Princess do for ...fun... around here?" she asked as Garak grabbed another tool and started waving it over her shoulder, causing a faint itchiness to vanish.

"Oh, you wound me Your Highness. Are you implying that our back and forth isn't intellectually stimulating?" he answered her question with a question.

"It's more the fact that I have a couple of days and you don't have that many dresses for me to try on." she shot back, looking at herself in the mirror, actually quite satisfied with that he had found for her.

"True enough." Garak conceded. "Down to the left there's a rather bright and flashy establishment run by a ferengi gentlemen called Quark. In 30 minutes a certain starfleet lieutenant will head there for drinks and later a game of Tongo." he explained, as though he were detailing a security vulnerability rather than a fun activity. "But this particular lieutenant has lived a long life and longs for novelty. When they heard you might be visiting the station, they got very excited. You'll find they'll be quite capable of getting a young Princess to have a little fun."

Azula smiled, putting her previous clothes in her purse and heading for the door. "Thank you very much, tailor."

"Your Highness." Garak called out. "I believe you forgot to pay."

Azula turned. "I swiped my chit on the way in." she said.

"I wasn't talking about the dress." Garak said simply.

Azula sighed. "Very well. What do you want to know?"

"Just one thing: when you're coming back." Garak asked.

Azula smiled. "What makes you think I am?"

"Ah." Garak shook his head. "You've already asked your question, Your Highness."

"Very well. Probably about a month. Give or take." she answered finally.

Garak bowed again, this time without the air of mockery from before. "A pleasure doing business with you." he said as she left for the promenade.

Azula wasn't normally one for any place with _bar_ in it's name, especially not anywhere run by a _Ferengi_ and their sexist ways. But Azula figured that one way or another she'd get the fun that the tailor promised. If anything, it would be a good test of the cardassian's reliability. Regardless, she couldn't help but feel uneasy going in, with everything so bright, the sound of people cheering at the dabo table and drunkenly laughing at unfunny jokes. Azula had never been in a place like this, it was unfamiliar. And unfamiliarity was met with suspicion.

"Well, if it isn't the great Princess Azula." said a rather devious looking Ferengi, stepping out from behind the bar and giving a bow with the same faint mockery from before. "I'm Quark, the proprietor of this establishment. How can I help you?"

"I'm looking for someone." Azula said non-chalantly, figuring that announcing her intention would increase her likelihood of success.

Quark briefly gave the princess a look of surprise, before nodding. "For a price, I can find just about anyone. Who are you looking for?"

A pause. "I'm not sure." she said. "Starfleet. Apparently very old." she recalled what the cardassian tailor had told her. "I'm told they'll be arriving here soon." she gestured to Quark.

It took a moment for Quark to realize Azula was referring to his bar and not the station. "Well as long as you're a paying customer, you can wait here for him as long as you want." he gestured towards the bar. "Perhaps another service of mine would interest you?"

Azula sat down at an empty barstool and fumbled in her bag, reaching around her old clothes to find her chit before changing her mind and reaching for some latinum instead. Ferengi were notorious for charging chits right to their limit. "How about this?" Azula said, placing two strips of gold-pressed latinum down in front of her.

"And what's this for?" Quark asked, greedily accepting the meager sum.

"Hmm?" Azula considered for a moment. "Oh." she realized his meaning. "I have no interest in alcohol, gambling, or lewd holo-programs. Payment was for the seat."

_Oh, so you're one of those kinds of royals._ Quark let out a short sigh. He was hoping to run up the princess for expensive drinks and other 'exaggerated' merchandise. "Are you sure there's nothing I can interest you in. I offer a wide variety of services beyond what's listed in my directory page. Perhaps a-"

"You know, there is something." Azula interrupted. "On a mission a few months ago my crew and I boarded a Ferengi merchant vessel." she said with a smile that made Quark nervous. "They were attempting to ship weapons to what were my mortal enemies at the time. Naturally, we boarded the vessel, killed every last one of them, and took the weapons, their antimatter and drive plasma for ourselves." she explained, smile turning into a grin. "It was the most fun I have had in years. Something about how when you crush a Ferengi's skull the pressure goes straight to their ears, popping them out like a mushroom. Can you provide me entertainment like that?" she asked.

"Um, ah, nevermind."

With the bartender sufficiently scared of ever speaking to her again, Azula was free to survey the bar for new arrivals. And, given that the night was young, they were frequent as ever. Species that her world hadn't even made contact with yet came and gone, but Azula kept her eyes trained for Starfleet communicator badges. There weren't many starfleet officers coming and going, probably due to their societies dislike of currency. She did see an older man with a starfleet badge walk in with someone, though the lack of pips on his collar indicated that he wasn't a lieutenant.

At first Azula wasn't overly concerned with the passage of time, but when an hour had finally gone by she began to wonder if the tailor's information was just a not-so-elaborate ruse to get her to come here. To the best of her knowledge, the station duty shifts had long since changed over such that any officer that was coming would have already arrived by now.

"Whatcha looking for, Princess?" said a young trill wearing a starfleet uniform, drink in hand.

Azula looked the woman in the eye. "What makes you think I'm looking?" she asked pointedly.

"Whoa, attitude." she said playfully. "You've been here since I got here 30 minutes ago. You haven't ordered a drink or so much as got up for a stretch since then, and you keep looking at everyone who walks in."

Azula considered snapping at the woman to get her to leave before considering that speaking to her might yield what waiting hadn't yet. "I'm looking for one of your colleagues." she admitted. "An older lieutenant that apparently wants to meet me. I'm told they usually come here about this time and later play this game called Tongo."

The woman sat down next to Azula, smiling oddly. "I think I might know who you're talking about." she said, pausing for a moment as if deciding what to do next. "Why are you looking for her?"

"She came recommended." Azula said cryptically, before elaborating. "A rather well-informed cardassian told me about her."

"Garak?" the woman said with a laugh. "Garak told you about-" a pause. "her?"

"I confess, I never asked his name. He's a tailor just down the promenade."

"Yeah, that's Garak. Which reminds me, I never introduced myself. I'm Jadzia." she bowed her head. "And of course I know you: Azula, Princess of the Fire Nation and heir to the dragon throne."

Azula nodded. "So, Jadzia, can you take me to this woman?" she asked.

"Hmm.." Jadzia considered briefly. "Maybe. But I'd like to get to know you first. She's very particular about when and how she meets people."

"Very well." Azula nodded again, hoping that this wouldn't take very long.

"Why don't you start by telling me why Garak told you about her?" Jadzia probed.

A pause as Azula thought to herself.

"Well..." she trailed off, embarrassed to admit that the mighty princess just wanted to have a little _fun._ "I was asking about things to do while I'm on the station, and Mr. Garak saw fit to inform me that she was interested in seeing me." she decided on. "Though I think he intended to lead me on somewhat of a chase, as she seems rather hard to find." she said, looking around once more.

"Oh, she's not very hard to find." said Jadzia matter-of-factly. "So, you were looking for a little fun?" she asked, seeing through Azula's feeble attempt to avoid saying it.

"I suppose you could put it that way." she begrudgingly admitted.

"Well that's good, Dax likes her fun." Jadzia said with a laugh. "Is it true people from your world can create fire?"

Azula sighed, honestly rather having gotten tired of every alien between here and homeworld asking her that. "It's true." she said. "Your station's security chief gave me a rather stern warning not to start any."

Jadzia waved her hand dismissively. "Don't worry about Odo, as long as you don't cause any real trouble he won't bother you." she explained. "Do you use it often?"

"I train every day." she nodded. "Well, I try to. Not many places to practice your firebending on a Cardassian space station."

"Hmm." Jadzia considered, wondering if she could brighten the Princess's mood by resolving that particular difficulty "That might not be entirely true." she said simply before waving her hand to the bartender. "Quark! Think you could get me a holosuite program? I'm thinking an empty beach somewhere nice."

The ferengi man nodded, still not looking directly at Azula. "Suite 4 is open. I assume the princess will be paying?" he asked after giving Jadzia the datarod, hoping to avoid billing Sisko for more worthless federation credit.

Jadzia looked at Azula and smiled. "I'll take you to Dax afterwards, promise."

"Very well." she ceded to Jadzia's request, not sure how a holosuite would stop her from setting the station on fire. "How much?" she asked Quark, hoping the discussion would be both swift and cheap but knowing that with Ferengi it was one or the other.

"10 slips for the hour."

Azula crossed her arms, indignant. "I've already paid two strips."

"Yes, and you said that was for the seat." Quark gestured to where Azula was sitting. "No latinum, no holosuite." he declared.

Azula sighed and placed a third strip of latinum on the bar.

"It's against company policy to give change. Enjoy the hour!" said Quark, happy to be rid of the royal with not-so-exotic tastes.

Jadzia pulled Azula away before she could argue. "I don't understand." Azula said as they walked up the steps to the second level. "How will holograms stop my fire from singeing the walls?" she doubted Jadzia's earlier assertion.

"I take it you don't have holosuites where you're from?" Jadzia asked.

"No." she said simply. "We do have holo programs you can watch for entertainment, however." Azula explained, having initially thought this 'holo-suite' was simply a more interactive version of those.

Jadzia inserted the datarod into the receptacle allowing the door to open, revealing a tropical beach with the sun just sitting over the horizon, with waves crawling up and down the wet sand.

Azula hesitated, never having seen a depth-of-field simulation this realistic. She could see the waves hundreds of meters away, and the shimmering crimson reflections of the sky on the calm sea. And what would happen when she set foot on the sand? Wouldn't her feet just... phase right through it?

"Don't worry." Jadzia assured, taking a her shoes off and stepping on the sand with her bare feet. "You won't fall through the floor."

Azula tried to restrain her surprise as the starfleet officer stepped onto the projection. It wasn't any normal hologram, it was more real somehow. The grains responded to her movement, getting out of the way and leaving footprints as she walked. An impressive technology to be sure.

Jadzia waited for Azula to take her shoes off and walk inside as well before picking up a rock and throwing it far into the ocean, landing with a faint splash. "Anything that hits the wall of the holosuite is recycled into energy, before being projected as an image. Gives this beach the illusion of going on forever." she explained. "It should be safe to make as many fires in here as you want."

Azula looked over to where she had thrown the rock, trying to judge the distance and guess where it would be if it were a real rock. Probably in quark's somewhere or off into the promenade. "Impressive." she finally said out loud.

"I'm sure your scientists will figure out how to make these eventually. You already have replicators, right?" Jadzia asked.

"Indeed." Azula nodded, before finally deciding to test Jadzia's hypothesis by shooting a quick dart of flame towards the ocean, trying to see if she could perceive the exact moment it hit the wall of the holosuite and was converted into a graphical projection. However instead of seeing a characteristic blue or yellow haze that came with matter recycling, her flame simply glided over the ocean before turning red and eventually extinguishing itself far in the distance.

She turned around to comment on the quality of the effect only to see Jadzia looking, almost staring at her in amazement. "What?" Azula asked.

"Well, when they said you could make fire, I was expecting... well, you know..."

"Yellow?"

"Yeah." Jadzia laughed. "I suppose I was. Do all your people have fire like that?" she asked.

"No, just me."

Jadzia raised an eyebrow. "Just you? Nobody else?" she asked, more surprised than doubtful.

"It's because I'm special." said Azula matter-of-factly, almost enjoying this act of showing off to a foreigner.

"Well, I never doubted that." Jadzia said, earning a weird look from Azula. "So, think you can do your daily training here?" she asked.

"It's adequate." Azula said, her vast understatement earning a smile from Jadzia. "Although I can't do it in this." she said, looking down at her dress. "Anything serious and I might tear the fabric."

Jadzia laughed again. "Probably. It looks pretty on you, though." she said, beaming.

"Thank you." she nodded, not sure what to make of Jadzia's expression. "So, do you want more from me or will you take me to this Dax now?" she asked.

Jadzia waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, you've already met her." she grinned.

Azula pondered the meaning for a moment. "I don't recall meeting anyone with that name"

"No, I don't suppose you would." said Jadzia. "Garak certainly took you along for a ride by telling you I was old."

Azula tilted her head back and sighed at that tailor's games. "I take it you're joined?"

"Lieutenant Jadzia Dax, at your service." she said, tilting her head with respect. "Sorry for playing along, but I was just having a little fun. Can't blame a girl for that, can you?" she asked.

Azula sighed again, hating being played. "No, I suppose not."

"To answer your question, I would like to see more, though." said Jadzia, beaming again. "If that's okay with you."


End file.
